Tours

I am happy to help arrange for a tour and apply for 'visitors route' tickets on your behalf. However, there are a few restrictions on tours of the Palace of Westminster.

Members and Officers of either House may sponsor tours along the Visitor Route. Group maximum size is 20; a maximum of one tour per day may be booked. If your group is larger than 20 you must provide the name of an additional sponsor for each extra 20 or part thereof. Groups of under 20 may be combined with those of other Members to maximise capacity.

Tours along the Visitor Route are either Full Tours which include both chambers or Partial Tours which include either the House of Lords or the House of Commons.

Tours, which must be prebooked, begin from the Sovereign's Entrance at 4 minute intervals between the following times:

Sitting Days
 
Mondays 09.00 to 12 Noon Full Tours   
Tuesdays 09.00 to 12 Noon Full Tours   
Wednesdays 09.00 to 09.20 Full Tours   
 09.25 to 12 Noon Partial Tours (Lords Only)   
Thursdays No Tours    
Fridays 15.30 to 17.00 Full Tours 

Non Sitting Days & Recesses
 
Easter and Spring Weekdays 09.30 - 17.00   
Whitsun Recess Weekdays 09.30 - 17.00   
     
Prorogation Weekdays 09.30 - 17.00   
Summer Recess     
July and August Wednesdays and Thursdays 09.30 to 12 noon   
September and October Tuesdays, Wednesdays    
 and Thursdays 09.30 to 12 Noon 
There are no Members' tours on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays.

Christmas / New Year Closed    

As you can imagine, it can be quite difficult to fit everyone in for a tour on their chosen date. I will try my best but it would be helpful if you had some alternative dates just in case I am unable to obtain a permit on the day you wish to attend.

Strangers Gallery Tickets

Two Public Gallery tickets are allocated by rota to each Member every eleven sitting days, except Fridays, valid for times when the business starts (‘the Meeting of the House’). The tickets are sent to Members six days in advance, regardless of the business announced for that day and no application is necessary. The dates for each Member’s allocation is known when the date of the next Parliamentary calendar is announced.

If the holder of a Public Gallery ticket does not present it half an hour after the sitting of the House and if the Gallery is full, they will be asked to wait until a space becomes available.

People can be admitted to the Public Gallery from the public queue but they need to be aware that when matters of special interest are being debated there may be a long delay before seats become available.
 

I am glad to help obtain tickets for the Strangers' Gallery of the House of Commons for constituents. Each Member of Parliament is allocated two tickets, about once a fortnight. As you may know, Strangers' Gallery Tickets for Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesdays are very difficult to get hold of. I will do my best to arrange tickets for Prime Minister's Questions, but it helps if constituents can provide a choice of dates, as far in advance as possible.  Please contact my office for more details.